


Hershel's Worries Subsided

by VoidLeviathan



Series: Professor Layton One-Shots and other fun things [2]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Comfort, Drabble, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24037543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidLeviathan/pseuds/VoidLeviathan
Summary: Resentment wasn’t the only problem though, he always worried they wouldn’t be able to make proper friends as they grew older.
Series: Professor Layton One-Shots and other fun things [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644970
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Hershel's Worries Subsided

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ
> 
> This fic was finished in one go from 12 to 4 am as a small self indulgent thing for myself. I always found it a bit odd people worte off that Alfendi wouldn't get along with Hershel once he was home, as it was Placid and not Al who said he was the only Layton.
> 
> Thinking further into it I was like 'Man theres not a fic about Hershel judging and getting to know his kids friends, is there?' And promptly decided one family fic that wasn't just there for pain was needed.
> 
> I don't know I feel like the fandom needed something nice. I apologize for any grammar mistakes I'll go back and fix them later as well as add better tags but...yeah...thats why this exists.

Hershel was always so worried about his children. Alfendi at just the age of seven never really got along with anyone and well...he never did get the chance to see how Katrielle grew up. It wasn’t fair knowing what precious time was taken from them and his mind only grew more anxious at the thought that perhaps his children would resent him for being gone so long. Resentment wasn’t the only problem though, he always worried they wouldn’t be able to make proper friends as they grew older.    
  
Hershel himself never quite struggled to make friends but he could easily say that it was so very hard to keep in contact with them when they were always all busy. Randall, Henry and Angela had a city to run. Clark and Brenda never did really send him any letters of familiarity, but instead just simple ones asking about Luke. The occasional visits from Paul and Flora were nice, though as years past in the time Hershel went missing they stopped entirely. And frankly Hershel wasn’t quite sure where Desmond was or how he was doing, but he hoped he was well. Emmy’s situation was just about the same as Desmond’s. He’d have to send a letter at some point.    
  
Friends were hard to keep track of and even harder to make as you got older. At a young age you just never knew if you’d make any to begin with. So he worried.    
  
However during this small gathering of family he could easily say his worries were quickly subsiding. He didn’t think the time to truly get to know his children’s friends would come so soon, but he wasn’t going to complain either. First there was Katrielle and Alfendi’s dear friend Lucy Baker. She was truly something else.    
  
Hershel liked her energy. She was clearly so full of excitement and a need for adventure, not to mention her obvious care for both his children. Lucy stuck by Alfendi for most of the visit, constantly asking if he was okay or needed a break of any kind. When Alfendi left the room now and then to get some air she’d happily come up to Hershel himself and ask about his various adventures and how he helped the precinct back in his day. 

Hershel would never tire of Lucy’s enthusiasm and interest in his stories, it sort of reminded him of Luke in a way when he was younger. He enjoyed the time they both spent sharing stories back and forth about the past and present while the others were occupied doing whatever else one does at a gathering.    
  
Lucy was a good person. Hershel couldn’t be happier that Alfendi had found someone so kind to stick by.    
  
Ernest Greeves was a different story.    
  
Hershel couldn’t seem to find a single opportunity to talk to the boy just in regular conversation without it being with the entire group. Maybe Ernest planned for it that way. He did act a bit like the skittish type. Not socially anxious, but maybe anxious and unsure of how to include himself into or start a conversation with someone new. Any chance Hershel had of talking to him alone Ernest quickly made his way to another room or found something to keep him occupied so no one would attempt to bother him. Hershel wasn’t even sure if Luke had gotten a proper chance to actually talk with him during the gathering.   
  
Honestly, Who was Hershel to judge the behaviour? He himself was the same way around new people in his younger years. He’d been so nervous when Randall introduced himself to him all those years back, he could understand where the Greeves boy was coming from. So rather than coming to him directly Hershel did his best to just be sure Ernest was comfortable with the current conversation going on in the rest of the group.

Looking about the group as they all talked about things that oftentimes happened as they worked, Hershel could safely say he had no reason to worry at all. His children were clearly happy...more or less. It would take some time to adjust to the way things are now like the fact that they were all grown up, but Hershel was content with that.

His family was happy, mostly safe, and more importantly had people they considered family too.

Hershel could not ask for anything more than this.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr.Hell is Pan-Crow if you're ever lookin to talk about PL or AA or simply just to chat in general. I reblog a lot of stuff there but don't be intimidated, I'm pretty anxious too.


End file.
